Overview
Take a trip to Koh Tao on your Thailand Vacation
Koh Tao is an island situated off the Gulf of Thailand and is known for its excellent scuba diving, some of the best in the gulf on a Thailand vacation. Tourism is its almost exclusive industry. You can see turtles, stingrays, barracuda, lots of small fish, and reef sharks and there is a possibility of seeing a whale shark.
It is less developed than nearby Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan but has become increasingly popular, especially with the younger crowd. The white sand beach north of Ao Tanot is the best place on the island for snorkeling due to its very clear waters. There is a sunken catamaran in the bay. This beach can be reached by a long-tail boat. The most popular resort is Sairee on the west coast, which has a white sand beach with a length of 1.7 kilometres/ 1 mile interrupted only by a few huge boulders and some resort hotels and restaurants. Chalok Baan Khao, to the south of the island, is becoming popular as an alternative for those wishing to escape the crowds.
Nearly any time of the year except November is good diving weather in Koh Tao and visibility can exceed 40 metres/130 feet. Average visibility is around 15 to 20 metres/50 to 65 feet. It is possible and perfectly comfortable to swim and dive without a wetsuit year-round. However, as with most diving, a wetsuit is recommended to help reduce the risk of cuts or injury.
You can rent a bicycle or a scooter and ride around the island. Shark Bay is another good place to go snorkeling Other spots include Koh Nang Yuan, Freedom beach, Laem Thian, Mango Bay, Hin Wong Bay and Tanote Bay. Chumpon Pinnacle, a dive site to the west of the island has a reputation for divers in search of both whale sharks and bull sharks. However, because of warmer water temperatures recently, a great number of bull sharks have migrated to cooler waters. The island is host to over 130 species of hard corals and over 223 species of reef fishes.
Apart from scuba diving and snorkeling on Thailand tours, hiking and rock climbing are popular pastimes for visitors.
You can rent a bicycle or a scooter and ride around the island. Shark Bay is another good place to go snorkeling Other spots include Koh Nang Yuan, Freedom beach, Laem Thian, Mango Bay, Hin Wong Bay and Tanote Bay. Chumpon Pinnacle, a dive site to the west of the island has a reputation for divers in search of both whale sharks and bull sharks. However, because of warmer water temperatures recently, a great number of bull sharks have migrated to cooler waters. The island is host to over 130 species of hard corals and over 223 species of reef fishes.
Apart from scuba diving and snorkeling on Thailand tours, hiking and rock climbing are popular pastimes for visitors.
At a Glance
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Thai Baht (THB)What do the experts say?
Thailand is a friendly destination with fun & warm people, great food, and impressive cultural and beach experiences. Simply wandering neighbourhoods, visiting temples, shops & viewpoints, and eating at local restaurants are what I enjoy most when visiting Thailand. The south of Thailand is a special location with beautiful scenery and a seemingly laid back lifestyle, so visiting this area is always a special and memorable experience.
The experience of travelling from island to island on longtail boats in the south of Thailand is something that still resonates with me after many years.
For families, visiting a sustainable community in Koh Yao Yai can bring the trip to life with local interaction. For honeymooners, personalizing memorable experiences with special menus, in-room dining and more can really elevate the experience for Goway guests.
All the people that I met at the hotel, restaurants, and parks were always smiling at me. I can feel that they are grateful to all international tourists. A Thai smile inspires me most and makes me want to revisit.
Koh Tao
Koh Tao Beach
Koh Tao Reef
Koh Tao
Koh Tao Bay
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ExcellentBased on 5,160 ReviewsWe recently completed a custom Vietnam tour organized by Goway, and it was everything we asked for and more. We would definitely choose Goway again. The true highlights of our trip, however, were our two guides: Vu Dang and Thien. They truly made our experience unforgettable. Both were incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind. Their pride in their Vietnamese heritage shone through in every conversation, making our learning experience both deep and engaging. We learned so much in such a short time, and it was always fascinating. I would highly recommend these two guides to anyone visiting Vietnam!Laura DerbyshireEverything was expertly planned, from the drivers to the hotels to the tours to the flights. We particularly enjoyed Hobart and the animal sanctuary, Adelaide and the trip to Kangaroo Island, Melbourne and the evening tour with dinner and drinks, and Sydney with the private boat cruise of the Harbour. We will definitely use Goway again.SARA WiebeThere were 4 travelers on this trip. All of us were in our late 70's. We started planning this trip 6 months prior to our travel date and had a lot of questions regarding this trip. Our Goway Travel Specialist, Karen Larrota, always answered our questions in a timely and complete manner. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador, the Galapagos, The Sacred Valley in Peru, Machu Picchu, and Cusco in Peru. Not only were the destinations and accommodations excellent, but every tour guide and driver were beyond excellent. The entire trip went smoothly every step of the way, which was amazing given the fact that there were numerous flights and hotels included in our package. We found out that the tour company that Goway used, Condor Travel, checked on us with our guide to make sure we were doing OK which we thought was very nice but also amusing as we are fairly fit older adults. Would also like to mention that we did a cruise thru the Galapagos on the Galapagos Legend which was arranged thru Go Galapagos - Kleintouurs. This portion of our tour was also excellent as were the wildlife guides and staff. We continue to discuss how wonderful this trip was with our family and friends and how wonderful this experience was. Would definately use Goway for our travel needs in the future.DianneAfter spending some time with our agent, we felt that she understood exactly what we had in mind as far as the level of service, etc, we were hoping for. The trip exceeded our expectations. Lori kept us busy(not too busy!) and we had many, many very exciting experiences. Bruce BelshawAylin is an exceptionally proficient advisor. Coordinating my clients simultaneously often feels like herding cats, but she has remained patient and accommodating through every modification and delay. Goway continues to be my go-to for complex itineraries, and they never disappoint.Nick Cron, ACCMahalo Goway Travel for helping in planning our group Japan's trip. Lawrence was very helpful & patient with all the changes & additions we did. Also, mahalo to Natasa who helped planned my Australia trip past November. The planning from transportation to tours to hotels worked very smoothly. I'll continue to use Goway travel for all my International trips. I'll also will recommend to my friends & family to use Goway...MahaloTanya LaguatanMaria Spitman was wonderful to work with. She was very helpful in designing our trip to Japan and equally wonderful when we had to cancel it. I loved the service she gave us.Sandy WarrenMy daughter and I had a wonderful 2 weeks in New Zealand! The country is so beautiful and the people so friendly. Our destination specialist did a great job with planning and organizing the itinerary, choosing our hotels, and organizing transportation. The hotels were absolutely beautiful and we had great views. We felt right at home and found all of the staff to be friendly and accommodating. There were no issues with our itinerary and our excursions we were always on the list. Our transportation was always ready and waiting for us.
We want to thank Goway Travel for their hard work and patience with us in planning this trip. Any changes that needed to be made were communicated timely. We also want to thank you for the beautiful weather during the entire 2 weeks it was perfect every day 😀.
It was a memorable trip that we will never forget and we will think of Goway when we plan our next adventure. Because it was not just a vacation; it was an adventure!Connie WenhardtWe had a great travelling experience with GoWay !
Thank you all involved in organazing our trip!MaiaBrigitta Fuller is Amazing! She was my group coordinator. She understood the assignment and all the nuances I was trying to achieve. The itinerary she curated was fantastic. If you want someone who truly cares about her group and what they are trying to achieve. I will always reach out to Brigitta first for Europe groups. Kathryn Walker
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